Family Fright Fest

Barrie’s biggest free Halloween party is back for its sixth year.

Family Fright Fest takes over Lampman Lane Park and Community Centre at 59 Lampman Lane on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free, and the event runs both indoors and outdoors.

The festival draws thousands of people each year and recently picked up an Innovation Award from Festivals & Events Ontario for its inclusive programming.

Come early for a gentler experience

The event is open to all ages, but it gets spookier as the night goes on. The City is encouraging families with young kids or anyone with sensitivities to arrive earlier in the afternoon. Parents and guardians should use their own judgment about what their kids can handle.

Here’s how the evening breaks down:

• 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.: A sensory-friendly hour hosted by the City’s Inclusion Services team. Expect a quieter setting with the lights on, no animated features and no scary costumes.
• 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Friendly frights for the littlest trick-or-treaters, with fun sounds, lights and sensory effects plus a costumed performer.
• 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.: The full Fright Fest experience. Things ramp up with louder music and sound effects, a dimmed gym, flashing lights, fog and performers in scarier costumes.

Free activities

Plenty of the fun won’t cost you anything, including:

• A haunted house
• Inflatables and games from Moonwalk Entertainment
• A craft corner from Bradford Greenhouses
• Live performances and costumed characters
• Barrie Police and Barrie Fire vehicles to explore
• Forensic crime-solving activities with Barrie Police
• Barrie Transit’s Scary Bus, with spooky story time from the Barrie Public Library
• A dance party with DJ Tee
• An interactive photo booth
• A fire pit

Paid activities

Bring a little cash if you want to try airbrush face painting and body art, carnival games or balloon twisting. There’s also a vendor market and a lineup of food trucks.

Scheduled events

• Trulee Odd performances: 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
• Haunted story around the fire: 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• Costume contest: 6:30 p.m.

Food and vendors

Hungry trick-or-treaters can grab something from:

• Barrie Soccer Club
• BeaverTails Simcoe Muskoka Mobile
• Came to Fil Up
• Chungchun Rice Hotdog
• Domino’s Pizza
• Drizzled By Adrienne
• Foodiez Barrie
• Miss Richie’s Kitchen
• Nates Cakes & Co.
• Smoke’s Poutinerie
• Space Station Sweets

Accessibility

The event space is accessible. If you have specific accessibility needs, you can reach the City’s events team ahead of time at events@barrie.ca or 705-739-4285.

Sponsors

Family Fright Fest is supported by Moonwalk Entertainment, Alectra Utilities and Save On Energy, Bradford Greenhouses, Domino’s Pizza, Rock 95, 107.5 Kool FM, Barrie 360, Pure Country 106, Bounce 104.1, Fresh 93.1, Big 101.1 and CFRH.

More details are available on the City of Barrie’s event page.